Interview by Janet Scarborough with Lea Schadeberg, Branch Manager, Ajilon Professional Staffing (2005)
What does a Branch Manager for a staffing company do?
My job is to find talent for organizational clients, so I spend most of my time doing business development and sales.
I consult with prospects about their organizational hiring needs and I source for talent via online recruiting sources, the
newspaper classifieds, and professional associations.
Can you say more about what the sales process looks like once you have identified a lead?
Once a lead is identified, I call the hiring manager of an organization to find out more about what his or her hiring needs are.
It is very challenging to persuade a hiring manager to talk with me because there are many companies in the same business as Ajilon.
So service is key. I work to build rapport and trust so that the hiring manager thinks of me when there is an open position to be
filled.
What does a typical day look like in your job?
I make many, many telephone calls because my goal is to have 20-30 telephone conversations in a day. You can't have telephone
anxiety in this job. Also, I usually do 2-3 in person meetings, too, in any given day.
What do you like best about your job?
I enjoy the opportunity to see how different organizations work, from Nordstrom to a small law firm. And there are lots of
opportunities to meet interesting people in a variety of career fields.
What are the most challenging things about your job?
It is challenging to provide consistent high quality service to clients when you don't have twenty high quality candidates
sitting on a shelf waiting to fill open positions. You have to find the right people for the jobs. People are unpredictable,
so you don't always know that someone will succeed no matter how much prescreening and testing you do. And it is tough that
we can't control all the variables because we really want the clients to be happy.
How did you land this job?
This was my first job out of college. I started in a hybrid position as an Interviewer / Front Desk Receptionist.
I would answer the phones unless I was doing an interview, in which case others in the office would cover for me.
I did 50 interviews every week, which was a lot! I was eventually promoted, and since then I've worked in general
staffing, in technical recruiting, and now in professional level office and administrative staffing.
What was your professional and educational background before landing this job?
I have a B.A. in Psychology and an MBA. Before I started with the company that was acquired by Ajilon, I had worked in school
on a small project for a consulting company. As part of a research project, I called hundreds of companies asking about their
human resource management practices. So I had proof that I wasn't afraid to make phone calls!
What skills are most important to succeed in your work?
Persistence in the face of rejection and creativity. Also good customer service. You have to be able to be
open-minded and willing to listen before reacting. And you need to have good follow up and organizational skills.
What advice do you have for someone who wants a job similar to your job?
If are willing to start out in an entry level position, it is fairly easy to break into this field because there is high turnover.
In the beginning, there is high stress and low pay. Some entry level positions are Office Coordinator, Front Desk Receptionist,
Payroll Specialist, Benefit Specialist, Recruiter, or Staffing Manager.
If someone eventually wants to be self-employed as a Recruiter, it is good to get experience in an agency first.
You need a solid network. It takes time to build the type of network that is required to make solid money.
Are there any commonly held misperceptions about your career that you would like to clarify?
People often think that staffing agencies have nothing to fill but low paying dead end jobs. That isn't true.
There are really cool interesting jobs to be filled.
What is the income range for persons in your career?
Entry level is usually something like $30K base plus bonus or commission. After 8-10 years, you can make $100K+ if you are willing
to build and work a network.
What are your long-term career goals?
I would like to move up to a Regional or Area or VP role. I would like to manage multiple offices.
I would also like to mentor and develop new recruiters and sales professionals.
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